Glenn B.'s Bio

Comments By Glenn B.

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HAL9000ST makes a mistake, oops, just squashed mom and her kids... think of the legal and lawsuits. That in itself I believe will squash self driving vehicles in albeit very special limited situations.

thinking about the not all that far off future and maybe being semi-retired. Probably will have to work till dead and not retire, but have wondered about driving OTR say for 6 months on then taking 6 mths off and being semi-retired.

anyone doing similar or know of trucking companies that may allow that?

I'm leaning strongly towards going into OTR trucking, and think I've decided on what school to go to in a couple months. Probably have a preference for tankers based upon much reading. Hopefully I'll be able to find a company that will take me on fresh from school. Now one of my criteria when picking companies I'd like to apply to includes their financial stability.

Silly as this might sound as it seems drivers are in huge demand now and projected to continue to be, sometimes recessions and possibly worse happen. I would hate to be a rookie or 1-2 yr newbie and be facing a layoff/termination should the economy tank again. There were and still are millions of construction workers who were caught in this situation in 08 who probably didn't think this would happen.

For those that have been around a while, are there a) companies, and b) sectors that you think would endure a hard economic down turn better than others? And, the opposite question would be what companies and sectors of trucking might you expect to fail or reduce employment, or cut back on miles/pay ?

Real life indeed. as a former 2 wheeler of many years I see a similarity. 18 wheels you worry about killing other people and must drive accordingly - on 2 wheels you need to worry about other people killing you and must drive accordingly. Ultimately it's about avoiding contact I suppose. In those days I had an airhorn (small) installed on the bike and used it liberally! The aural bumper had saved me many a time.

I'm doing my research on companies that I think I'll want to apply to after I get trained/schooled. That brings up a question on training. A few companies websites indicate their "approved" schools are PTDI certified, which leads me to think that other schools may not carry much weight with them (no pun meant)...

I'll call these companies and ask about this but wanted to ask y'all if that's ever been brought up before. May make a difference as to what school to choose. Thoughts on that?

Other thing I get from reading a few of the other online forums is that some of the veteran drivers say that "paying your 1st year dues" should be taken with a grain of salt. They said IF you select (and do get hired) by the "right company" you will not automatically be lumped into the near starvation pay rates first year, and might actually get decent rates provided you perform well. Not expecting to start off this driving at the top rates but will try not to start at the bottom either. Would prefer do my research up front. This sort of ties into choosing the right school also.
Thoughts?

how do trucking firms in general respond to their applicants and/or student drivers not having a permanent address? With most other businesses and govt dealings I can see that as one of those situations that becomes difficult for them to deal with, especially govt!

I suppose there are practical ways to make it work and deal with the details, but the part I'm most looking into is the emotional/psychological aspect of being a totally free range chicken without a coop.

Hi all,
have been reading and reading, looking over company websites, and doing what I can on the net to learn about a trucking career. This is a great site btw !

If I do make the move to learning and driving 18 wheels it would make sense to me, now with no wife/kids/pets/dependents, to not need to have a permanent residence and those mthly payments if you expect to only home a few days a month (at the most) to lonely house. That would mean living those few days a month in a motel or just the truck. I'm not sure how I would adjust to that type of living - might like it, might feel trapped, maybe just ambivalent, so I'm fielding that question to everybody for some thoughts and experience.

I've started reading this site and forum because I'm thinking about trucking as a job/life.

I'm just about 57, again single with no dependents or pets or personal ties. Renting a house, struggling with my own business - that struggle being economy related rather than ability related. So from what I read here I don't have the ties that make being on the road weeks at a time difficult. Some stupid newbie question if I may ;

Is driving boring? Day after day after day?

Do you tend to get quite sleepy at times? How to deal with that?

Do weather and temp changes make it more likely to catch colds?

Do a few, some, or many companies pay their OTR drivers a per-diem for eats?

What are the exercise options when out on the road? Do big truck stops have gym or weight rooms?

Are drivers allowed to carry a firearm?

Are there "independent contract driver positions" out there that pay on a 1099 basis?

I'm thinking if I went this direction, being an OTR driver, I would be out for weeks or months at a time - so why would I want or need to rent a house or even an apartment if I were to hardly ever see it? Do any others in a same or similar situation live out of truck and then go temp rooms/hotel/short stay suites for their occasional time off comes rather than keeping a home or apartment? Having never lived that way I don't know how I'd deal with it. Thoughts?

Looking forward to your feedback!
Glenn

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